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We continue our season preview coverage with SMU women’s head coach Travis Mays. He first gained fame in the state of Texas as a player for the Longhorns: 1990 Elite 8, 2279 career PTS (#2 in Southwest Conference history), and the 1st player to earn back-to-back SWC POY honors. After being drafted 14th overall in the 1990 NBA draft, he spent 3 years in the NBA before playing almost a decade of pro basketball overseas. After retiring he spent 15 years as an assistant at several big-time college programs and was named head coach at SMU in 2016. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach Mays about being a great scorer and playing against Michael Jordan.
As a freshman on Valentine’s Day 1987 you made a 3-PT shot with 1 second left to clinch a 2-PT win on the road at SMU: where does that rank among the biggest shots of your career? I did not hit many game-winners at the buzzer during my career so it is 1 of those shots that would cause you to run around the neighborhood as a kid. It was not that big of a game but as a freshman it made me feel somewhat more accepted. It was 1 of the coolest moments of my basketball career.
What are your memories of the 1989 NCAA tourney in Dallas (you scored 23 PTS in a 6-PT win over Georgia Tech)? We were a team that was trying to prove itself because nobody knew who we really were. Georgia Tech had Tom Hammonds/Brian Oliver/Dennis Scott and were a nationally-known team under Coach Bobby Cremins. It was a notch in our belt to knock off 1 of the big guys: we wanted to prove ourselves.
You were a 2-time SWC POY and in 1990 you were named All-American: what did it mean to you to receive such outstanding honors? I always played with a chip on my shoulder. The SWC was not a power conference back then. I wanted to go pro so I figured that I would have to be the best player in the conference. It gave me a huge amount of confidence, especially because I could not sneak up on anyone during my senior year. That also rates at the top of my list of personal achievements.
Take me through the 1990 NCAA tourney:
You scored a tourney-school-record 44 PTS in a win over Georgia (including a whopping 23 FTM): was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”? I do not know if I was in a zone but I did everything in that game with a serious purpose. I did not go out trying to score 44 PTS…but if it was going to be my final game then I wanted to go out as the leading scorer in school history. Guys kept fouling me so I made them all count.
You scored 16 PTS and made 2 FT with 7 seconds in a 1-PT win over Purdue: what is your secret to making FTs? My college coach once told me do not look back wishing you could have spent more time practicing FTs. The key is repetition but when they foul you then you have to make it count.
You scored 20 PTS but missed a 3-PT shot with 17 seconds left in a 3-PT loss to Arkansas: did you think that your shot was going in, and what was the feeling like in your locker room afterward? I absolutely thought that it was going in. When it fell short I followed it but ended up getting my 5th foul and fouling out. When the ref blew his whistle I laid on the floor for a few seconds because I realized that my career had come to a close. Coach Tom Penders came out to see if I was injured and I told him that it was my last shot in a Texas uniform. He patted me on the back and let me lay there for awhile.
In the summer of 1990 you were drafted 14th overall by Sacramento: did you see that as a validation of your college career, or the realization of a lifelong dream of reaching the NBA, or other? It meant everything: it validated my hard work and put a stamp on me as 1 of the best in the world but it was also a lifelong dream. It felt like a time to exhale for a short moment and get to shake Commissioner David Stern’s hand…but then realize that I had to get to work because I was starting over again.
In your 1st season you averaged 14.3 PPG and were named 2nd-team All-Rookie: how were you able to make such a smooth transition from college to the NBA? The confidence and hard work helped me a lot. Playing against the best throughout my college career had me looking forward to accept the challenge of the NBA. My teammates like Rory Sparrow/Wayman Tisdale made me feel like a part of the team and became some of my best friends, as well as Ralph Sampson. It is great to have veterans like that who want to see you become successful. There are very few people who everyone says the exact same thing about but everyone described Wayman as a great person/family man. He made you feel special but he was like that with everyone.
In the 1993 Eastern Conference 1st round as a player for Atlanta you were swept by 2-time-defending-champ Chicago: what was it like to play against Michael Jordan in the playoffs? My 1st experience against him was during my rookie season and it was phenomenal. It is 1 thing to see him on TV and another to walk onto the court and play against 1 of the greatest of all time. Rory and Michael were good friends and during my 1st year Rory told Mike, “I got a rookie who is going to get right in your jock tonight”: I wish he had let that dog lie! Jordan dunked the ball and threw it right back to me, which I will always remember. Michael said after the game that he had tremendous respect for me and compared my defense to Gary Payton, which was 1 of the greatest compliments that I have ever received.
After retiring from the NBA you played in several foreign countries (including Greece/Israel/Turkey/Italy): what did you learn from these experiences, and how did they compare to the NBA? I learned a lot during my 1st year in Greece because they had a lot of great American players over there: Walter Berry/Rolando Blackman/Thurl Bailey/etc. I learned that the NBA is not the only place where they played competitive basketball so I never took it for granted. I got injured in Atlanta, which is what caused me to go abroad.
In 2002 you became a coach/scout for San Antonio of the WNBA, and later served as an assistant to Hall of Fame coaches Jody Conradt (at Texas)/Van Chancellor (at LSU): what is the biggest difference between men’s basketball and women’s basketball? The biggest difference is the athleticism. There are some exceptional female players like Maya Moore/Candace Parker who can create separation, but most of the success is based on execution. In the men’s game a guy can be out of position but still use his athleticism to recover and make a play.
In 2012 you were re-hired as an assistant at your alma mater: why did you take the job, and what do you hope to do in the future? It was a no-brainer for me. When I 1st came to Texas as a player the program was not where everyone wanted it to be. It put a lot of joy on the fan’s faces after we helped bring it back to national recognition. As a student-athlete I reaped the benefits of that by being accepted in the community, so I can relate my story to all of the new players who come in and want to take a program back to the national level. I also liked the opportunity to work in Austin where my family was living. I will continue to sharpen my craft and who knows where it will lead.